Arcadia
Mulder and Scully go undercover as a married couple in a gated community to investigate the mysterious disappearances of neighbors who didn't conform. Summary In the teaser, disgruntled homeowner Dave Kline arrives home to find Shroeder has repainted his mailbox from "desert sienna" to "desert sage" to comply with homeowners association rules, and Kline fumes that he'll paint the entire house pink to show them. His wife Nancy tells him to calm down and that rules are rules. However, in the mailbox was a package from an unknown person, and inside is a tacky windmill, which Kline puts on the roof to piss off the neighbors. While in bed that night, Kline hears an intruder in the house. He goes to investigate while his wife stays in bed. A creature attacks Kline and eventually Nancy as well. After the Klines' disappearance without a trace from their planned residential community (one of many over the years), Mulder and Scully go undercover as the new homeowners moving into the dead couple's house: Rob and Laura Petrie (like the dish). Mulder is unhappy with the assignment, believing it is a waste of their time since they were just reinstated to the X-Files, and continuously makes jokes, accusing Scully of just wanting to "play house." The members of the community immediately take an interest in the new couple, with everyone pitching in to make sure they are moved in before 6:00 p.m. (community rules), and Win Shroeder nervously tucks away Mulder's basketball goal into the garage, promising he could talk to the president of the homeowner's association and perhaps get special permission. After the move-in, Mulder and Scully begin searching the house, which has been scrubbed clean. They find what appears to be blood on a blade of the ceiling fan. When Big Mike, one of the neighbors, wants to let the "Petries" in on the "consequences" of breaking the community rules, the HOA president Gene Gogolak describes him as "a weak link." That night, he finds his outdoor light burned out. Although he frantically replaces the light bulb, a monster attacks him as he shouts, "I fixed it! I fixed it!" The next day, Shroeder hoses Big Mike's blood from his porch, where he encounters Mulder and Scully. He asks the couple over for dinner, where Mulder and Scully probe them for information on the community and Big Mike's whereabouts. Mulder continues to torment Scully by telling the Shroeders they met at a UFO conference, and "Laura" is a "new-ager." Scully and Cami Shroeder take an after-dinner walk with the Schroeders' dog Scruffy, who runs off into a storm drain. While Scully looks for Scruffy, she finds Big Mike's necklace and a substance on Scruffy's face. Back at "their house," Mulder and Scully find living together challenging, as Mulder doesn't "follow the rules" and Scully would "fit in well" at Arcadia. They discuss possible motives for the murders, and Scully decides to have the substance analyzed in San Diego. Mulder decides to test his theories that noncompliance with the community rules is the motive. The next day, Mulder sticks a pink flamingo in the yard, which promptly disappears without Mulder seeing who did it. Next, he messes with the mailbox and watches out the door to see who fixes it. After hours of watching, he finally has to use the restroom. When he comes back, the mailbox is repaired and a note inside says, "Be like everyone else before it gets dark." After dark, Mulder brings out his basketball goal, which Shroeder runs over to frantically argue with Mulder to put it away. Meanwhile, something comes out of the grass at Mrs. Schroeder who screams. Mulder chases it away, but they all notice their light has burned out. The basketball goal is put back in the garage by an unknown person, and the door closed. Scully returns "home" to hear a creaking upstairs, but Mulder doesn't answer. Mulder is still outside looking for the creature, and digs around in the yard. Scully searches the house, armed with a fireplace poker and nearly hits Mulder. Mulder admits to Scully that this is an X-File after all. Shroeder confronts Gogolak, accusing him of sabotaging his light, the same thing he had him do to Big Mike. Instead he's told "Rob Petrie" is the real problem. Meanwhile, Mulder believes the creature moves through the yard, under the grass. Scully shares her lab results: the "blood" on the ceiling fan and on the dog isn't blood at all, but just grime, as the neighborhood is built on top of an old landfill. Mulder believes the Klines were buried in their yard, so the next day he gets a bulldozer to dig up the front yard, telling the neighbors he's putting in a "reflecting pool," which he states isn't against the community rules. They don't find the Klines, but they do find the tacky windmill that had been mysteriously delivered to the Klines before they died. The windmill bears a label from Gogolak's company. Mulder says they need to get an excavation team out there to dig deeper. Meanwhile, a creature stirs in the pit they've dug. As Scully calls for a forensic team to come out there immediately, she hears something in the house. She goes for her gun in the dresser drawer, but finds it missing. As the creature comes up the stairs, a bloodied Big Mike grabs Scully and tells her to get out, that "it's coming" for her. He tells her they (the original homeowners) created the creature but can't stop it, and he admits he tried to do the same thing to Schroeder that he did to him. He shoves Scully in the closet, and fights with the creature. Meanwhile, Mulder confronts Gogolak about marking the Klines for death by giving them the tacky windmill. Mulder says the creature is a tulpa, a Tibetan thoughtform, that Gogolak conjured to assure compliance with the HOA rules. Gogolak is unconcerned, stating he could never prove that in court and Gogolak would ruin him in the process. Mulder arrests him anyway, handcuffs him to a post outside and finds Scully trapped in the closet inside, the room splattered with blood and broken furniture. Gogolak begs for help, knowing the creature is coming. Shroeder starts toward Gogolak, but his wife stops him, stating Gogolak gets what he deserves. Mulder, still helping dig Scully out of the closet, hears screams outside and rushes out of the house. He sees the creature attack Gogolak and as he dies, the creature disintegrates into dirt. Scully comes outside too late to see the creature, the remnants of which are at Mulder's feet. The epilogue as narrated by Scully, stating the neighbors blamed the previous deaths on the dead Gogalack, but claim ignorance as to how he did it or what killed him. The Falls at Arcadia remains one of the top planned communities in the US. Background Information BACKGROUND INFORMATION Links and References Guest Stars * Tim Bagley as Gordy * Abraham Benrubi as Mike Raskub * Debra Christofferson as Pat Verlander * Juliana Donald as Nancy Kline * Tom Gallop as Win Shroeder * Marnie McPhail as Cami Shroeder * Mark Matthias as Mover * Roger Morrissey as Ubermenscher * Tom Virtue as Dave Kline * Peter White as Gene Gogolak References The Falls at Arcadia; Rob Petrie; Laura Petrie; Tulpa Category:X-Files episodes